Excalidraw MCP Server

Excalidraw MCP Server: Powerful Drawing API for LLM Integration

A comprehensive Model Context Protocol (MCP) server that enables seamless interaction with Excalidraw diagrams and drawings. This server provides LLMs (Large Language Models) with the ability to create, modify, query, and manipulate Excalidraw drawings through a structured, developer‑friendly API.

Features

  • Full Excalidraw Element Control
    Create, update, delete, and query any Excalidraw element (rectangle, ellipse, diamond, text, arrow, etc.), including support for:
    • position (x, y)
    • dimensions (width, height)
    • styling (backgroundColor, strokeColor, strokeWidth, roughness, opacity)
    • text (text, fontSize, fontFamily)
    • line geometry (points)
    • locking (locked flag)
  • Advanced Element Manipulation
    Group, ungroup, align, distribute, lock, and unlock elements.
  • Scene & AppState Management
    • Track and modify scene‑level state: theme, viewBackgroundColor, viewport (scroll & zoom), selectedElements, groups.
    • Retrieve library of all elements or individual scene properties.
  • Save Scene
    Export the current scene (elements + appState) to a .excalidraw file on disk.
  • Resource Management
    Access and modify scene information, element library, theme, and raw element data.
  • Easy Integration
    Compatible with Claude Desktop, Cursor, and any other LLM platforms that support MCP.
  • Docker Support
    Simple containerized deployment for zero‑dependency installs.

API Tools Reference

Element Creation and Modification

create_element

Create a new Excalidraw element.

  • Input
    { "type": "<element type>", "x": <number>, "y": <number>, "width": <number, optional>, "height": <number, optional>, "points": [{"x":<number>,"y":<number>}…], "backgroundColor": "<hex>", "strokeColor": "<hex>", "strokeWidth": <number>, "roughness": <number>, "opacity": <0–1>, "text": "<string>", "fontSize": <number>, "fontFamily": "<string>", "locked": <boolean> }
  • Output
    { "id": "<generated‑id>", "type": "<element type>", "created": true }

update_element

Update properties of an existing element.

  • Input
    { "id": "<element id>", }
  • Output
    { "id": "<element id>", "updated": true, "version": <new‑version‑number> }

delete_element

Remove an element from the scene.

  • Input
    { "id": "<element id>" }
  • Output
    { "id": "<element id>", "deleted": true }

query_elements

List elements matching optional filters.

  • Input
    { "type": "<element type>", "filter": { "<prop>": <value> } }
  • Output
    [ { /* element objects */ } … ]

Resource Management

get_resource

Retrieve scene or library information.

  • Input
    { "resource": "scene"|"library"|"theme"|"elements" }
  • Output
    • scene{ theme, viewport: {x,y,zoom}, selectedElements: […] }
    • library/elements{ elements: [ … ] }
    • theme{ theme: "light"|"dark" }

Element Organization

group_elements / ungroup_elements

Group or ungroup element collections.

  • Input
    { "elementIds": ["id1","id2",…] } { "groupId": "<group id>" }
  • Output
    { "groupId": "<new‑id>", "elementIds": […], "ungrouped": true? }

align_elements

Align multiple elements to specified edge or center.

  • Input
    { "elementIds": […], "alignment": "left"|"center"|"right"|"top"|"middle"|"bottom" }
  • Output
    { aligned: true, elementIds: […], alignment: "<alignment>" }

distribute_elements

Evenly space elements horizontally or vertically.

  • Input
    { "elementIds": […], "direction": "horizontal"|"vertical" }
  • Output
    { distributed: true, elementIds: […], direction: "<direction>" }

lock_elements / unlock_elements

Prevent or allow editing of elements.

  • Input
    { "elementIds": [… ] }
  • Output
    { locked: true|false, elementIds: […] }

Scene Management

save_scene

Export current scene (elements + appState) to a .excalidraw file.

  • Input
    { "filename": "<optional, must end with .excalidraw>" }
  • Output
    Scene saved successfully to <filename> or error message.

Integration Examples

Claude Desktop

"mcpServers": { "excalidraw": { "command": "node", "args": ["src/index.js"], "env": { "LOG_LEVEL": "info", "DEBUG": "false" } } }

Cursor

Create .cursor/mcp.json:

{ "mcpServers": { "excalidraw": { "command": "node", "args": ["/absolute/path/to/mcp_excalidraw/src/index.js"], "env": { "LOG_LEVEL": "info", "DEBUG": "false" } } } }

Docker

docker run -i --rm mcp/excalidraw

Or in MCP config:

"mcpServers": { "excalidraw": { "command": "docker", "args": ["run", "-i", "--rm", "mcp/excalidraw"], "env": { "LOG_LEVEL": "info", "DEBUG": "false" } } }

Installation Guide

# Install dependencies npm install # Run development server npm start

Docker

docker build -t mcp/excalidraw . docker run -i --rm mcp/excalidraw

Configuration Options

Set via environment variables in .env or your container:

  • LOG_LEVEL — logging level (default: "info")
  • DEBUG — debug mode ("true"/"false", default: "false")
  • DEFAULT_THEME — default UI theme ("light"/"dark", default: "light")

Usage Examples

Create & Lock a Rectangle

{"type":"rectangle","x":50,"y":50,"width":100,"height":80,"backgroundColor":"#f3f3f3","strokeColor":"#333","locked":true} { "id":"abc123","type":"rectangle","created":true } {"elementIds":["abc123"]}

Save Scene to File

{"filename":"my_drawing.excalidraw"} "Scene saved successfully to my_drawing.excalidraw"
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security - not tested
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license - not tested
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quality - not tested

A Model Context Protocol server that enables LLMs to create, modify and manipulate Excalidraw diagrams through a structured API, supporting element creation, styling, organization, and scene management.

  1. Features
    1. API Tools Reference
      1. Element Creation and Modification
      2. Resource Management
      3. Element Organization
      4. Scene Management
    2. Integration Examples
      1. Claude Desktop
      2. Cursor
      3. Docker
    3. Installation Guide
      1. Docker
    4. Configuration Options
      1. Usage Examples
        1. Create & Lock a Rectangle
        2. Save Scene to File
      ID: 48kc5xrrrc